Lincolnshire Police are to take part in a weekend of action aimed at encouraging drinkers to take responsibility for themselves on a night out.
Officers will be out and about across the county and will question those involved in incidents where alcohol consumption is a key element to establish where and when alcohol was bought and consumed. The information they gather can then be used to build a picture of problem areas that need addressing.
Plain clothes and uniformed officers from the Alcohol Licensing Department will also be on duty over the weekend, visiting premises around the county. Part of this activity is intelligence led and is aimed at venues where police believe criminal behaviour is regularly occurring.
Last year police chiefs across the Country highlighted the drain on police resources caused by excessive drinking and called for alternatives, such as “drunk tanks”, to put the cost back to the drinkers.
Despite a big debate after the issue was highlighted, there have been few changes and police still have to pull officers off their beats to deal with the drunk and disorderly in town centres at the weekend.
National Policing Lead on Alcohol Harm, Chief Constable Adrian Lee, feels that progress has been limited over the last 12 months and there is a real need for more to be done.
He said: “We raised this issue last year and got real support from the public, other emergency services, health services, some parts of the alcohol industry and politicians.
“We have seen increased efforts in the last 12 months from the alcohol industry and licensed venues to tackle excessive drinking, but these efforts have barely scratched the surface of a problem that is blighting our communities.
“Voluntary measures such as stopping the production of ‘super strength’ products in large cans, a commitment to responsible promotion of alcohol in shops and supermarkets and a small investment in education in schools are steps in the right direction.
“But they are small steps. There is much more to be done.”
